The ruffwear flagline is a unique harness. A Harness with a tummy strap? Of high quality? Is something that doesn’t get seen much. This means your dog no longer has to balance on two legs when you put it on! Other Great Flagline Harness Features: So, if you’re worried about your escape artist husky or your hound-ini (yeah, Shelby’s come close before and scared us witless!) – then this is the right harness for you. Reactive Dogs We suggest using a soft towel slung under the belly if additional support is required in the meantime. A reusable canvas shopping bag slit down the sides also makes a handy temporary sling / harness for three legged dog. Find instructions for DIY Tripawd sling here.

This harness says it’s handwash only. I mean, this seems like one of the most ludicrous statements to make about a harness, especially a harness that’s made for hiking – but I will be totally honest. I’ve washed it in the machine, and it’s absolutely fine. So… I’m really not sure why it’s apparently not washable? Do I Recommend The Ruffwear Flagline? I love this harness for reactive dogs, it’s the worst fear of a lot of people that their dog should escape, and cause damage, or flee. And well, this one seriously takes the biscuit for control & containment. The long design means that you have support, it means that you have the knowledge your dog isn’t going to escape. Dog Families Who Hike NOTE: We recommend not using any three legged dog harness until the surgery has completely healed and stitches or staples are removed. We have heard of no specific cases where any harness has hampered healing, but we believe direct pressure from the straps may irritate the wound. Please consult your veterinarian with any concerns. The bottom panel disperses the weight of dogs in the harness, for additional comfort when lifted. The bottom also adds stability to the harness, further minimizing shifting. Looking for a more secure option with the additional belly strap, or a lift-and-assist option with a handle and belly support? The Web Master, Flagline, and Switchbak all meet those needs.Since we have been so impressed with the Web Master, when the Flagline was announced, we couldn’t wait to try the latest full-body harness from Ruffwear.

In the image below the Flagline harness is a little loose as we had not re-adjusted the straps after Glia wore it over her sweater.) The pictures below compare the Webmaster to the Flagline again. You can see how the belly strap is not connected to the chest straps of the Webmaster. The new design of the Flagline connects these straps with a solid chest/belly panel. This provides much better support when needing to lift the dog by the padded handle. Unfortunately, the Flagline only has three color options just like the Web Master. We hope that someday Ruffwear will give these harnesses as many options as the Front Range has.

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My 100+ lb. Akita recently lost a front leg to cancer. Although he’s adapting really well, he still sometimes stumbles and walking on hard surfaces can be a little tough on him. I’ve tried to provide him with some extra support using various harnesses and it was really tough to find one that give him good support, didn’t hurt me, and did not interfere with the surgery scar. The Flagline hits on all counts. It’s comfortable for him and I can give him constant support during a walk without either of us getting uncomfortable. It took a couple of tries to adjust it, but the online video helped a lot and it went relatively easily. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to worry about price or sustainability and could just buy your dog one of every harness. But realistically, for those looking for an everyday full-body harness, the decision in the Ruffwear catalog comes down to the Flagline or the Web Master. The Flagline harness offers the same great support for three-legged dogs as the Ruffwear Web Master Plus. It also offers chest and belly protection, without need for the additional Brush Guard attachment.

The Ruffwear flagline was tested in L/XL which fits true to size. It was tested mainly on hikes and in rivers and similar to give evidence to what it was designed for. If you have been following our national parks journey for long then you are probably aware that we have been really impressed with Ruffwear’s Web Master harness (we just wish it came in as many colors as the front range). Both Sasha and Glia have the Web Master in Blue Dusk, but we can’t wait for some pinks or purples. The front clip is helpful for dogs who like to pull, as it directs the dog’s weight sideways when they lean into a leash that is attached at the front of their chest. This reduces how much they can lean into the harness/leash without changing their center of balance, which reduces how hard they can pull. Number of Color Options The Flagline Harness is also about ensuring a perfect fit. With six points of adjustment, you can tailor the harness to your dog's unique shape, ensuring they're comfortable and secure on their adventures. Below is an image of the Groundbird Gear harness for comparison with the Flagline Harness pictured above. Padded HandleI gave it 4 stars only because I wish the material came up higher on the sides. There’s a lot of exposed strap and I feel it make chafe him on long walks. A nice touch might be a matching sleeve that can be slipped over the strap (and maybe some velcro to attach it to the existing material) to provide some extra padding. I might look for some velcro luggage handle covers to do the job. If you are familiar with Groundbird Gear harnesses, then this system might be very familiar to you. In fact, the Ruffwear Flagline Harness reminds us a lot of our Groundbird Gear harness. Both are lightweight, easy on/off, and include a full chest/belly panel (which we will discuss in more detail later). Two points of leash attachment - including one at the chest, good for redirecting dogs that pull on leash

NOTE: In between sizes? Choose the larger size. Ruffwear suggests getting the larger size Flagline harness for dogs who measure in between sizes. I’m a firm believer in having one thing that can do everything. I guess that makes the flagline the swiss army knife of harnesses, huh? Lightweight

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Another key factor could be the front leash clip-in point. If you are working on leash pulling with your pup, the front leash clip-in point is helpful for redirecting dogs that pull on their leash. In this case, the Front Range is the way to go.